Tag Archives: RealD

Who Does Regal Love More - RealD or Imax?

May 11, 2009

If the US exhibition industry was a comic strip, Regal Cinemas would be Archie and 3D rivals RealD and Imax would be Betty and Veronica. Things seem to be coming to a head between the three with the opening of Regal’s latest multiplex Thornton Place Stadium 14 & IMAX - to give it its full and proper name - and with a shot across the bows from Veronica, sorry, Imax about just how fabulously rich her offerings are.

First the details on the opening of the state-of-the-art Thornton:

Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 will feature a new IMAX® theatre utilizing a specially-designed screen that is slightly curved and moved forward to immerse the audience. The IMAX Experience® is further enhanced by a crystal-clear digital surround sound system. Regal’s IMAX theatre will also offer IMAX 3D® when filmmakers choose to integrate 3D images into their movies. Future IMAX releases include: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (6/24) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (7/15).

The new theatre is modern in every way, equipped with RealD® 3D to provide true-to-life 3D. RealD is a new generation of digital 3D, giving moviegoers a stunningly realistic movie experience that engages the imagination, activates the senses and invites the audience not only to watch a film, but also step inside the story. Upcoming Digital 3D movies include: Disney-Pixar’s Up (5/29), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (7/1) and Disney’s G-Force (7/24).

‘Immerse the audience’ and ’step inside the story’, OK, so Regal has both systems on the go. No major surprise there. But RealD and Imax do not see themselves as equals and do not just want to co-exist peacefully. This was made clear in an e-mail that went out from Imax today, headlined ‘Star Trek IMAX breaks record with $8.3 mil opening weekend in U.S.‘, which amounts to 11 per cent of the total box office (see Weekend BO story below).

Imax then goes on to quote from the Regal Cinemas public earnings conference call, where Regal’s CEO Mike Campbell, took a question from an analyst on whether Veronica was cutest or Betty prettiest:

Matthew Harrigan - Wunderlich Securities - Analyst

Good morning. Thanks for taking my question. Two questions. One, there’s a pretty profound asymmetry even if you adjust for the size of the auditoriums on the 3-D results for IMAX versus REAL D. Have you given any thought to re-balancing that or is it just more a matter of educating the consumer on REAL D? I heard there are some people actually think that some of the quality in 3-D with REAL D is better than with IMAX, but it doesn’t seem to have quite the marketing cachet.

Michael Campbell - Regal Entertainment Group - Chairman and CEO

As far as the Real D versus the IMAX experience, IMAX is a powerful brand and it’s not just the visuals and the size of the screen. It’s a–it’s got the best sound system in the world according to most people. So we’re seeing that when we run REAL D versus 2-D, the Real D screens show a multiple of two to three times the attendance that you’re getting out of a 2-D screen while the IMAX will run five to six times. So we view this actually as a very viable market going forward, where IMAX remains at the top of the food chain. It’s long-established as a powerful brand, attaches a higher premium. Real D 3-D is somewhere between IMAX and 2-D. And we think that it gives the customer maximum flexibility in choosing. [emphasis added]

So Regal loves Imax twice as much as it loves RealD? Or at least its audience does. Imax want to have us believe that. Regal has 52 screens contracted with Imax, but has committed with RealD for 1,500 screens. So the date count seems to go in favour of Betty. Moreover, if you read the above quote early, what Regal is saying is that RealD lacks the brand awareness that Imax has been building up over several decades. But that could of course change.

But could it be that neither of the two will end up the real winner? Archie-ologist will remember that Issue #320 saw the introduction of Cheryl Blossom, a redhead from Pembroke, England, introduced to compete with Betty and Veronica for Archie. Who might 3D cinemas Cherry Blossom be? Why, none other than UK-born American-relocated Dolby Laboratories. With studios threatening to no longer pay for RealD’s disposable (now recyclable) eyewear, the Dolby3D system with its re-usable glasses (and high gain, instead of silver screen) is becoming more and more appealing.

Not that Regal is likely to break it off with RealD for its 1,500 dates and while Imax is likely to continue to occupy a high end niche, the race for the attention of the cinema is definitely heating up and getting interesting. We don’t expect a cat fight, but we are awaiting RealD’s retaliation keenly.

Popularity: 67% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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RealD Releases LP Version

By Carolyn Giardina

May 5, 2009

reald-projector RealD expanded its product line today with the launch of RealD LP (Linear Polarizing Z Screen), which the company describes as a mobile, single-projector, passive 3D system.

RealD recommends the system for conference rooms, R&D centers, museum exhibits, mobile education centers, virtual rides and other entertainment attractions.

According to the RealD announcement: The RealD LP is an externally mounted peripheral for a single 3D-enabled DLP projector, with electronic controls integrated inside the device. When 3D content is fed to the projector in full-resolution, frame-sequential format, the RealD LP allows content to be seen in 3D by polarizing right- and left-eye images. Viewers would require RealD eyewear custom built for the LP.

Supporting screens up to 17 feet wide, the RealD LP is designed to work with 3D-enabled projectors such as NEC NC800, Christie Mirage HD, and Lightspeed Design HD DepthQ, along with a silver screen from Harkness, MDI or Stewart.

The system is now available for lease through the company’s professional division.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D, Technology

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Daily Cinema Roundup-Monday April 27

By Carolyn Giardina

April 27, 2009

–News on the Croisette: Xpand announced today that it was officially chosen as the 3D digital system provider at this year’s Festival De Cannes.

The 62nd Festival de Cannes will begin its opening ceremony on May 13 with Pixar Animation Studios’ first stereoscopic 3D animated feature “Up,” which Disney opens May 29 in North America.

Xpand will supply the projection for the “Up” screening, and will have four additional 3D systems throughout the Film Festival and the Marché du Film. The 3D screenings will be integrated by XDC using Christie projectors. Presentations will use the Xpand Series 101 3D active glasses.

Xpand reported that it has exceeded more than 800 3D screens worldwide and has approximately 100 transacted deals scheduled through June 2009.

“Up” looks poised to be another hit for Pixar. A 47 minute “Up” preview was screened last month at Showest and received very favorable feedback.

–UK theme park Legoland Windsor and RealD have partnered to upgrade the park’s Imagination Theatre with RealD 3D technology. This marks RealD’s first installation in a European theme park and the second partnership between RealD and Legoland (RealD is installed at Legoland California).

The Imagination Theatre 4D presentations “Spellbreaker 4D” and “Bob the Builder in 4D” are slated to combine digital 3D with environmental elements, such as wind and water.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Posted in Miscellaneous

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Daily Cinema Roundup - Thur 23 April

By Patrick von Sychowski

April 23, 2009

sa-wg_grosvbaby_06-10-08

- Cinema box office “is performing well despite the bad economy — not because of the bad economy,” according to a new survey published by Nielsen. Perhaps no surprise that it found that cinema was still considered a good value proposition, even in these tough economic times, by no less than 59 per cent of those who responded. Still, the article in THR.com makes clear that 20 per cent are cutting back on cinema going and only dining out is experiencing more cutting back amongst respondents;

- AMC Theatres supports children with autism (and their parents) by putting on special screenings with lower audio and lights not fully dimmed. Metro West Daily News reports that, “The Flutie Pass multiplex is one of 67 AMC theaters in 32 markets now showing “sensory-friendly films“ at convenient times and discount prices, said community relations manager Cindy Huffstickler. AMC has been screening films for autistic viewers since 2007 after a mother complained she’d been asked to leave a Maryland theater run by another chain when her autistic child became disruptive.” I’m sure these screenings do not make a massive difference to AMC’s bottom line, but are a good example of exhibitors exercising corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their community;

- In a similar vein, UK’s Cineworld is testing ‘Cinebabies’ in two screens, according to Haverhill Echo. “The initiative sets out to make the film experience as relaxed and enjoyable as possible for babies aged under 18 months and their parents, or even grandparents, uncles or aunties. Pushchairs will be arranged in the auditorium so that adults can have easy access to their belongings, while baby changing facilties are also available.” These too will have lower audio levels and light semi-dimmed.

- Canada’s Cineplex is going in for digital 3D in a big way through a deal with RealD. From Screendaily.com. “The Toronto-based exhibitor will have a total of 122 RealD 3D projectors operating in 72 facilities across the country with in a month. In all Cineplex will have 161 digital projectors, with 122 of them RealD 3D-enabled.” No word on which projector and server manufacturers are supplying the rest of the required hardware;

- Definitely not in 3D, but Cineplex will also be screening a concert by Diana Krall, according to Ottawa Citizen. “Canadian jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall, in town May 2 and 3, can also be seen in movie theatres May 20 in a concert she presented in Rio de Janeiro last November… The screening will be presented at 7 p.m. at the Coliseum and SilverCity cinemas in Ottawa as well as the Galaxy cinemas in Cornwall and Brockville.” [Which reminds me of the joke, Q: What is a guaranteed way of stopping the spread of AIDS? A: Ask a jazz record company to distribute it];

- Research & Markets has published its study on multiplexes in India. “The industry is characterized by seasonality, low screen density, increasing average ticket prices, and reducing shelf life of movies. The key trends identified include producers bypassing distributors, shift to digital cinema, and alternate content in multiplexes, retail partnerships, and new single screen formats.” It forgot to include ‘crippling strikes’ as well;

- Cinemas in south India will be closed today as part of a larger protest against the violence in Sri Lanka that is affecting the local Tamil minority, according to Press Trust of India. “The Tamil cinema industry has announced suspension all its activities today and shows in cinema theatres have been canceled.” Shops, transport and other businesses were also affected;

- Proving box office is off to a strong start in most places, Budapest Business journal is reporting that Israeli-owned Cinema City
in Hungary saw turnover rise 15 per cent in the January-February period. “The recession is not affecting the company’s performance: it has opened new screening rooms since the beginning of the year, and it plans to open a multiplex at the site of the former Skála department store in Budapest around October or November.” The outlook for the rest of the year is also said to be good;

- Similar positive news reaches us from Australia, courtesy of TradingMarkets.com. “Australian cinema operators and film studios are reporting strong box office sales. Graham Burke, the CEO of Village Roadshow, says that even ordinary films are generating a lot of interest among moviegoers. He believes that cinemas can withstand the competitive pressure from the internet by making a visit at the movies a memorable event“;

- Irish Times reports of a battle brewing over the re-development of the main shopping street in Dublin where the Carlton Cinema stood. “The proposed €1.25 billion redevelopment of a 5.5 acre site centred on the former Carlton cinema on O’Connell Street, could “serious and irreversibly” undermine the character of Dublin’s main street, An Bord Pleanála has been told.” Perhaps they should have just kept the cinema rather than just preserving the facade.

- But despair not, Irish ‘filum’ lovers - BMW Ireland is hosting an open air screening on May 7th at Dublin’s nearby Temple Bar to promote the launch of their Mini convertible. Movies.ie reports that you can vote for either “Gross Point Blank”, “The Big Lebowski”, “High Fidelity” or “Ferris Buellers Day Off”. Tough choice, but you must vote for Ferris;

- Finally, one of the big screens greatest painters of light is no longer with us as The Telegraph reports that cinematographer Jack Cardiff has died at the age of 94. “Black Narcissus” looks as amazing in all its Technicolor glory today as it did 61 years ago. RIP Mr Cardiff.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Posted in Miscellaneous

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Daily Cinema Roundup - Tue 21 April

By Patrick von Sychowski

April 21, 2009

- Despite a proliferation of new multiplexes in the major cities, China still faces a massive cinema shortage reports Xinhuanet. ““Many cities in the western regions still don’t have modern cinemas with multiple screening rooms,” Mao Yu, vice president of the SARFT told Xinhua. Mao said, a total of 2,860 counties across the country have no cinema at all, which “severely” limited the development of the country’s film market. Statistics from the SARFT show that, the country’s box office for the first quarter of 2009 totaled 1.25 billion yuan (about 183 million U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 50 percent.” Chinese cinema growth could thus leapfrog western in terms of going digital by installing digital but no analogue from day one.;

- Heather (Rollergirl) Graham’s latest film “Baby On Board” will release in D-Cinema and E-Cinemas in the US. Distributed by Angry Monkey Entertainment (AME), note the angry language when it comes to the technology issues. “AME implements encoding and digital compression technology to conform film releases to a high standard approaching the quality of D-Cinema - without costly licensing fees and exclusive equipment contracts that penalize exhibitors through bad profit-participation agreements. E-Cinema theaters, which today greatly outnumber D-Cinema installations, circumvent D-Cinema’s corporate licensing restrictions and subsequent revenue loss to theater owners. As reasonably-priced HD projectors and servers allow smaller regional theaters to embrace E-Cinema, affordable content can extend the use of these installations beyond pre-shows and corporate presentations.” No word on which E-Cinema network will be targeted (NCM Fathom? Emerging Pictures?);

- Carmike and Screenvision (NOT Bigger Picture, interestingly enough) will be bringing stand up comedy to the big screen. “STAND-UP 360 will be delivering a series of feature-length stand-up comedy performances recorded live at the Broadway Comedy Club in NYC.” This is perhaps not such a big deal, given the past 35mm releases of “Eddie Murphy Raw” and “The Original Kings of Comedy“;

- India’s Adlabs has been piping Bollywood films to the US over Relaince Globalcom’s fibre optic network. From Variety. “Adlabs also plans to bring movies and alternative content from India and other foreign-language territories to niche auds in Reliance’s American theaters. Adlabs’ Big chain owns 21 theaters with 166 screens in the U.S., targeted at areas with large immigrant communities. The entire chain should be converted to digital production within 18 months. Adlabs has already used the Reliance Globalcom network to send recent Indian pics “Ghajini,” “Luck by Chance” and “Delhi 6″ to screens in New Jersey and California.” Press release here. [Full disclosure: I was involved in setting this up and running it];

- Hollywood distributors appear to be supporting their Indian colleagues in postponing releases of new titles to Indian multiplexes according to Businessofcinema.com. “A source informs that Fox Star Studios has also postponed the release of its upcoming flick X-Men 4: Wolverine, which was to release in India on 1 May. Warner Bros India was looking at releasing two Hollywood films in Bombay and Delhi on 17 April. However, these movies are not playing at any multiplexes as of 20 April.” US anti-trust laws means that the Hollywood distributors cannot formally join in the strike/boycott/non-release;

- In a sign of the time,s Hollywood studios are cutting back on adverts for new releases in printed newspapers, according to the LA Times (which must be worried). “While studios, many of which have remained fairly loyal to print advertising, have been running smaller movie ads in recent years, Fox has made a bolder break with tradition, releasing four movies this year alone where the studio has run minimal newspaper ads or, in the case of ”Dragonball” and “Street Fighter,” released in late February, no ads at all.” More fodder for the name-says-it-all NewspaperDeathWatch blog?;

- UK’s Cinema Advertising Association has published research that people still intend to spend money going to the cinema. “The research, which was carried out at the end of last year, found that 62% of those surveyed said they planned to spend the same amount on cinema tickets as they did before the credit crunch.” A quarter of the 3,000 people surveyed said that they had made repeat visits to a cinema to see the same film.;

- French cinema circuit CGR has signed a deal with RealD to roll out 3D widely. From the press release, “This is another example of CGR Cinemas seizing opportunities first, which make it one of the pillars of French film exhibition today. This collaboration will allow us to take advantage of upcoming 3D films beginning with Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” said Jocelyn Bouyssy, chief executive officer of CGR Cinemas.” No word on how many systems will deployed and no mention or aknowledgment of integrator Arts Alliance Media;

Popularity: 41% [?]

Posted in Miscellaneous

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It Was A Very Good ShoWest 2009 For Sony

By Patrick von Sychowski

April 6, 2009

The popcorn has been swept away, the 3D movie banners folded, the quiet talk about how cinema is holding up in the recession has faded - ShoWest 2009 is over.

While VNU will continue to host the Las Vegas-set cinema trade show and exhibition for one more year before NATO is rumoured to take the show back (and move it to Ceasar’ Palace) in 2011, there was something of an End Credits roll feel to the confab. The number of attendees was down, the studios were (with two exceptions) largely absent, the parties scaled back and nowhere was there any open celebration of the fact that this year’s box office easily looks set to cross $10bn.

So who did well in this year’s conference? Digital Cinema? Old hat. 3D? Sure, “Monsters vs. Aliens” did well, but that was to be expected. Instead it would seem that ShoWest 2009 will go down as the year that Sony and its 4K SXRD technology took its decisive step into the limelight. No, it was not a case of audiences waking up and suddenly finding 2K resolution inadequate and demanding 4K, as Sony still hasn’t figured out how to create a pixel-fetish driven demand amongst cinema goers (free hint: don’t call it ‘4K’ - call it an ‘8 megapixel projector’ versus DLP’s ‘2 megapixel’ - sure, it’s not correct, but since when did that stand in the way of aggressive marketing?).

No, it was three interlinked announcement that helped crown Sony Electronics (not SPE - Sony Pictures Entertainment) the unofficial King of the ShoWest hill. Read More »

Popularity: 34% [?]

Posted in Equipment Vendors

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Battle Brews Over 3D Glasses In Europe

By J. Sperling Reich

March 26, 2009

RealD's Disposable 3D Glasses

Late last week I picked up on a rumor that was circulating about European exhibitors. Apparently, they are rejecting digital 3D versions of DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” in lieu of 2D digital and 35mm prints as a response to being told that distributors will not pick up the tab for 3D glasses. The film opens internationally on March 27th.

Disposable polarized 3D glasses cost between 50 and 99 cents (USD) and are required to view digital 3D movies shown using systems manufactured by RealD and Masterimage. “Active glasses”, which operate using LCD lenses that flicker open and closed at the shutter rate of the projector, are reusable and cost upwards of USD $$25 to $30. Such glasses are necessary to view 3D films shown using XpanD technology. Reusable glasses for Dolby’s color wheel system cost USD $23. More than likely the dispute is over disposable glasses rather than reusable glasses since it is generally accepted that the exhibitor will be responsible for the latter.

In North America it has become a somewhat common practice for the distributor of a 3D film to pay for disposable glasses in part or entirely. This may not last however since distribution chiefs such as Mark Christiansen of Paramount Pictures have said they are determining whether they will be reimbursing an exhibitor for the cost of disposable glasses on a film by film basis.

The theatre owners that reported the unofficial boycott of “Monsters vs. Aliens” in 3D were from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and a few Scandinavian countries. Equipment manufacturers and the few dealers I spoke with confirmed the story, and were somewhat frustrated as they believe such issues will hold up the rollout of digital cinema in Europe. Read More »

Popularity: 100% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D

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Some Bright Ideas At ISDCF’s 3D Luminance Level Demo

By J. Sperling Reich

March 25, 2009

ISDCF Chairman Jerry Pierce

On Tuesday at the AMC Burbank 16 in Burbank, CA, the Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF) held a luminance level demonstration of digital 3D content which had been mastered for different light levels. The ISDCF is not a standards body and thus the demo was not a test, but simply a way for industry professionals to see what 3D content would look like at brighter levels than the 4 foot-lamberts (ftL) to 4.5 ftL that is common luminance for most 3D movies today. One of the goals was to examine the emotional and technical impact of screening the content at different luminance levels.

Speaking of the content, material from the following films was shown:

“Journey To The Center of the Earth 3D”

“Miley Ray Cyrus/Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds”

“The Polar Express”

“Tokyo Mater”

“U2:3D”

A brand new Christie XD projector was brought in and connected to Doremi DSVJ2 server. Since it already existed at the theatre, the RealD XLS system was employed as the 3D technology. As well, RealD’s dynamic EQ was used to “ghostbust” the content as it was piped between the server and the projector. The Christie projector was set to triple flash (show each frame three times per eye).

Unfortunately, the ISDCF did not receive raw footage so that they could be timed from scratch. Instead they received material that had already been mastered for 4.5 ftL. Any adjustments made to master the content for higher luminance levels were made on top of this. As well, all of the clips were either set at night or were indoors. There was no daylight footage. All of the clips were originally shot on digital rather than film.

Popularity: 60% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D, Digital Cinema, Miscellaneous, Organizations

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Palace Cinemas Brings 3D To Central Europe

By J. Sperling Reich

March 19, 2009

Palace Cinemas 3Digital

Central Europe will soon be able to experience 3D digital releases the way filmmakers had intended thanks to Palace Cinemas. Tomorrow the exhibitor will announce they will be adding twelve 3D digital screens to their circuit just in time for Dreamworks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” to premiere on March 26th.

Palace, which is the largest exhibitor in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, will install three screens in Prague, two screens in Brno, two in Bratislava and an additional five in Budapest, where the company is headquartered. The news is a bit of a coup for Masterimage. The Korean company’s 3D technology has been selected for 11 of the installations. Palace, which already has one RealD system, will install an additional RealD screen at West End, one of their premiere venues in Budapest. Recently RealD and Dolby have stolen the spotlight when it comes to making announcments about new 3D installations.

“We like Masterimage, said Palace CEO V.J. Maury of why they chose the technology. “It’s a combination of great 3D on the screen and the right price. And we wouldn’t add another RealD screen at West End if it were not for its excellent 3D picture.”

Popularity: 66% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D, Digital Cinema

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Sony Teams Up With RealD To Offer 3D Solution

By J. Sperling Reich

February 25, 2009

Sony's 3D Dual Lens Adaptor Prototype

Long criticized for their inability to project 3D films, at least inexpensively, Sony may have finally found an appropriate solution for its 4K projectors. Earlier today Sony announced they would be working with RealD to merge the two companies’ technologies into a combined product offering.

Sony already manufactures a 3D dual lens adaptor for their 4K projectors which splits pre-polarized images into two 2K images. Unlike DLP projectors that use “triple flash” (144 frames per second alternating for each eye), Sony’s 4K projectors serve up a simultaneous image to both the left and right eyes when used with the adaptor. RealD will add to this mix a special customized optical filter that will enable Sony’s projectors to throw images onto silver screens as large as 55 feet while maintaining a light level of 4 foot-lamberts.

In a second deal, Sony gave RealD the “exclusive” rights to distribute Sony’s 3D lens adaptor for projectors installed in the United States, Canada and Europe. Of course RealD will also be offering the rest of their 3D kit to go along with Sony’s gear, especially there new 3D EQ technology which provides “ghostbusting” directly on digital cinema servers. The technology is meant to better separate the left and right eye images and eliminate the ghosting of 3D images, known as cross talk, which RealD’s system accentuates. Up until recently, content owners had to create special digital cinema packages that were pre-ghostbusted for RealD installations, a fact they were not altogether happy about.

Popularity: 55% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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